Black Parade
by venetron
Summary: A very "noir" take on the world of Pokemon. Jesse and James find themselves in the center of a gang war, and they must fight their way out or die trying. Ash gets drawn into the violence and finds unlikely companionship with the two Rocket agents. Everyone's world is changing, and Ash soon learns that they are not at all the criminals he thought them to be.


Saffron proved to be a black mark on everyone's record. Flare ran the city and the citizens knew it. There were riots in the streets when the police attempted to quash the criminal activity, and it always ended in bloodshed. What people thought were wild Pokémon at first turned out to be gangs released by Flare members. They would run the street night and day, only returning to their trainers when they were tired or hungry. There was no bonding, no love, and no respect. The pokémon were simply a means to an end and were treated as such.

Rocket had gone underground and its members no longer wore their letters as they did in years past. As odd as it was the police force missed the criminals. They still had a shred of integrity and had maintained their humanity even though they were living outside the law. Giovanni picked up wayward kids and turned them with promises of money and a home. They rarely got either, but found some solace in the fact that they belonged to something. Most of the time they were just scared to die on the streets. Under the sneering, steely-eyed veneer they were just kids. The good ones quickly surpassed the rank of "grunt" and moved on to higher positions. Their white over black uniforms symbolized Giovanni's "grace" overcoming their dark past and they wore it with pride, until now. The first incident involved a young man named Kai. Giovanni found him when he was only sixteen and introduced him to the life. He was one of the first Rocket members and became a captain after only a few years. He was cunning, charming and ambitious- all qualities that Giovanni prized. He ran squads in several cities and oversaw operations for Giovanni along with several other captains. He was running a heist in Saffron when he was ambushed. He and his entire team were killed. The Flare members who were responsible decided to send a message and tossed Kai's head over Giovanni's gate in the night.

A slew of killings followed, leaving their bloody mark on Giovanni's empire and making it abundantly clear that Rocket was no longer top dog. The agents who had gotten lucky enough to survive the blitzkrieg became more cautious than they had ever been. Unlike years past, Rocket agents no longer vied for a higher-ranking position, leaving Giovanni with a group of heavily deflated agents. He tried to keep morale high but the killings continued and he no longer had a choice but to let them defect from their uniforms and return to their civilian clothing. However Rocket was not going into hiding without a fight. A large number of Flare agents were killed when they were trapped in a building that was set ablaze. The leaders of this act were none other than Jesse and James who took it on themselves to bar the doors before breaking out the windows with homemade firebombs. The young vigilantes took the death of Kai as a direct threat to their safety. They saw their deaths in his, and were once again reminded that they were also not too young to die.

Giovanni sent them away from the compound with a hefty sum of money and direct orders to act as they saw fit, an order that they had never received before. Their boss was always extremely controlling and hard to please but also

knew that drastic times call for drastic measures. He knew that if he gave them permission to act on their own within certain parameters he would cut the risk of losing more agents. Or so he thought.

A few floors up in a slum of a building, two people sat with their backs against opposing walls. The man leaned his head against the wall and crossed his arms and the woman sighed.

"What's the use of this money if we can't spend it." She complained as she raked her fingers through her raspberry colored hair.

"We are spending it. I'd rather be holed up in this dump than waiting to be killed in a five star suite." He answered as he pushed a curtain aside and looked out the window. A neon yellow light came through and illuminated half his face. They

were quiet again until he idly commented on the sight below.

"Some poor jerk just got his money stolen and didn't even realize it. Pickpocketing is such a base form of thievery."

"Oh like this isn't." The woman snapped at him. "James, we've been in this damn room for days. I couldn't even go across the street to get soup without thinking that I was going to get jumped. I don't care if some dick got his money swiped- I care about getting the hell out of here." He let the curtain flutter back into place and fixed his gaze on her. His hair fell into his eyes and he flicked his head to one side to clear his vision.

"Just one more night. You remember what happened yesterday? They're out there."

"They're always out there!" She yelled as she pounded the floor with a fist. A woman shouted at them to be quiet from

the next room.

"No you be quiet!" She yelled back as she threw herself back into the wall in a huff. James laughed quietly as he watched her pout.

"Stop laughing." She ordered as she looked at the floor.

"You can be such a bitch sometimes."

"At least I don't laugh at stupid crap like you. God knows how or why you got yourself into this mess. If I was a rich boy like you I would have stayed on sugar hill and milked it until I got kicked out or died. But your dumb ass ran away.

By choice." Jesse laughed in a way that showed that she wasn't amused but rather on the verge of a breakdown. James fell quiet at her words and was looking at her in a way that made it clear that he wasn't amused either.

"I tried to die, you know this. A silk lined prison cell is still a prison cell. You'll never understand and I'm not going to try to explain it to you again."

"No I'll never understand why a rich, suicidal boy traded one evil for another. And don't you dare give me that lesser of two evils' bullshit again. Face it- our lives are ruined. We used to be on top, James. Remember? We ran

those streets, we were golden. We were the only show in town. We didn't have to hide or sleep with one eye open. We were IT." Her voice shook and she stared at him with pleading eyes. "We had it all, baby... And now this." James shook his head and looked down at his lap as he crossed his arms.

"Say something." Jesse said flatly as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Don't just sit there and shake your head, say something so I don't feel like a mental patient over here."

"I'm doing this for you." He said quietly.

"What?"

"I'm doing this for you." He said as he motioned around the room. She shook her head.

"No you're not." She said in a caustic tone. "You don't give a shit about me. We're just stuck in this together. You'd do this no matter who you were with. You know I was actually hoping I'd get hit when I went out for food? Hoping

someone would come along and just end it so I wouldn't have to do this anymore."

"You're selfish." James snapped at her. She flew out of her corner and unleashed a flurry of punches and expletives as soon as he was in reach.

"Don't you ever call me selfish you bastard! You're selfish, you goddamn prince taking your pills in your mansion! You think you had it hard, you don't know hard! I was born into this life! I never had a choice!" She got one last solid hit in that landed across his face before stumbling backwards. She was breathing hard as she looked at him. His shirt was stretched from where she had grabbed it and his hair hid his face, but he seemed oddly composed.

"What?" She asked as she pulled on her skirt. She watched him for any sign of retaliation but none came. It never did. He never fought back; he just blocked her blows and held her wrists as she railed on about whatever was making her angry.

He finally moved the hair out of his face and sat back down, never looking at her. Her hand was sore from where she had punched him and knew that his face would probably bruise by morning. He pushed the curtain aside again and stared out onto the street again. The yellow light showed the place where she had hit him and suddenly she felt bad. He wrinkled his nose and leaned his head against the wall again as the sounds of a fight floated up from the street below.

"James?" She said quietly. No answer. She sat down on the floor in front of him and stared at his profile. There was always something serenely handsome about his features that she was sure made other men resent him. He was the obvious

product of good genes, and it was times like this that made him mesmerizing.

"I'm sorry." She said as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "James please, I'm sorry." Still no answer. She moved so she was sitting directly in front of him and reached a hand out to touch his face. "Does it hurt?" She said as

she brushed his swollen cheekbone with the back of her fingers. As soon as she made contact James pulled his head back

and stood in one quick motion. Without a word he started walking towards the door, his boots making hollow clicking noises as he did. Jesse watched him with wide eyes before jumping up and following him. He had never done something like this before and she instantly became worried.

"James! Where are you going? James wait!" He was already out the door and walking down the dingy hall. A few of the other guests sat in the hall and quickly moved their legs out of his way as he marched past.

"You better catch your boyfriend!" One of them called mockingly as Jesse ran past them.

"James stop!" She yelled but he continued to not answer. She finally caught up with him and grabbed his arm.

"I'm sorry-please don't leave. Please! James look at me! Don't leave; don't leave me alone in there. We have to go together. We won't be safe otherwise."

"Let go of me." He said coldly as he pulled his arm away from her and threw the lobby door open. Jesse's breath caught in her throat as he turned and disappeared from view. She was out the door in a second and saw him turn the corner of the building and head down one the smaller streets that fed into the main thoroughfare. She resisted the urge to call after him so as not to draw attention. Someone drove by and catcalled her as she followed him but she paid no attention.

She finally caught up with him and grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Don't do this, you're being careless. You'll get yourself hurt. Come back to the hotel with me. Please- James it's not safe." She was too busy trying to get his attention to notice two people standing in front of them and only looked forward

when James stopped suddenly. The two young men who had called after her in the hall stood in the middle of the sidewalk smirking at them.

"Looks like you caught him." One of them said.

"What the hell do you want?" She snapped at them.

"A moment of your time." The same kid replied. She felt James put a hand on her hip to push her behind him but she didn't move.

"Well too bad, we're leaving." Jesse said in a strong voice despite the fact that her heart was racing. She turned to find two men who were much bigger an older than the boys standing behind them. A trap.

"James there's-"

"I know." He said calmly. He pressed the button on one of the two poke balls he had on his belt and almost immediately the air was filled with thick smog. The assailants coughed a fanned at the air and released their own attack in the form of a small pack of houndours. They bit and snarled at them and one caught Jesse around the ankle causing her to fall onto the street. She kicked at the beast's face until it released her. She pulled out a piece of piping she kept concealed in her boot and swung it at the houndour's face. It made a thick crunching sound when it hit and the mangy pokémon fell to ground motionless. One of the bigger men noticed what had happened and marched towards her holding a thick makeshift club. He was almost upon her when he was slashed across the face by James, giving him the appearance of having a bloody,

lopsided smile. James stood his ground against the man who was much taller and broader than him. He dodged the man's blows and managed to drive the knife deep into his shoulder before the attacks stopped. The brute swung the club one last time and hit James in the ribs before falling to his knees. As Jesse fought off a few more of the Houndours she saw the man go down. He landed close to her with the left side of his neck facing up. A large F had been branded into the man's neck, marking him as a Flare agent. She looked up to find James fighting off another huge man. He was lighter and quicker but his strength was fading fast. The man hit James in the same place as his comrade, giving him just enough time to pull a long blade out of his jacket. Jesse saw the metal glint in the dim light and screamed.

A street away Ash, Misty and Brock were picking their way through the dingy side streets in hopes that they would find quick passage out of the city. Pikachu clung to Ash's back, it's ears tucked down in a cautious manner.

"What the hell happened to this place? We really took a wrong turn." Brock said in a disgusted manner as he kicked a bag of trash out of the way.

"We have to get out of here, we're going to get mugged." Misty said desperately. "This place is a heap, I don't know why we ever decided to come back here." Pikachu's ears perked up when a terrified scream echoed from the next street over. Misty grabbed Brock's arm and they all stopped listening for any other sound. They could hear a woman scream something else but they couldn't make it out.

"We're leaving- come on." Misty whispered desperately as she tugged on Ash and Brock.

"Someone's in trouble." Ash said quietly.

"I don't care, I don't want to get involved in something." She snapped at him. Before she could get a good hold on Ash he broke free and started sprinting towards the corner. The other two had no choice but to follow. Ash moved quickly

and was out of sight before they could get close. Misty and Brock rounded the corner and saw him standing in front of two figures, both of which were on the ground. They slowed their pace and came to stand next to him. Misty gasped and covered her mouth with both of her hands. Jesse sat in the street holding James. She was crying as she hooked an arm under his back to lift him up further. He let out a horrible noise and she stopped and began to talk desperately to him.

"James look at me. Look at me- keep breathing. I'll get you a doctor- just stay with me." Blood pooled on the street and stained her hands as she tried to cover his wounds. He clutched at her arms as he tried to take a breath. She was sobbing as he briefly brushed her face with his hand, before it fell back to his side. She broke her tearful gaze just long enough to see that they were being watched. She wiped her face with the back of her arm and yelled at them.

"Go away!" Her voice cracked and she looked back at James as she continued to try to staunch the blood flow.

"Jess..." His voice was watery and quiet. Blood trickled out the corner of his mouth and down the side of his face.

"I'm right here..."

Ash stepped closer and pulled out his pokedex. Jesse's head snapped up.

"I said fuck off!" She screeched.

"He needs help." Ash replied evenly. Jesse let out an exasperated sound and ran a hand through James's hair, leaving red streaks in the pale lavender strands. Ash saw James's body relax and his head fell back over Jesse's arm. She immediately lifted him up but got no response.

"James! Don't leave me! Open your eyes! James!"

Ash flicked the Dex open and pressed a red button with a cross on it. Jesse looked up at the three of them with a wild, tearful expression.

"He's not breathing!"

"I called an ambulance, they're on their way." Ash's voice sounded numb. He started to feel light headed. The blood looked oily and thick on the pavement and it coated Jesse's legs in dark rivulets. He heard sniffling coming from behind

him and turned to see Misty standing next to Brock with tears running down her face. Ash walked back to them and put an arm around her. They watched Jesse talk to him and rock his limp form as she held him against her chest.

"Is he..." Misty started.

"I don't know." Ash replied in the same numb tone. For the first time Team Rocket not longer was the enemy. The people in front of them were just two people caught in a tragic web. They were troublesome but never violent, not towards them at least.

Sirens broke the silence and ambulance hauled its way around the corner and screeched to a halt. Two men in white uniforms jumped out.

"We got an emergency call from a Pokedex at this location." Ash pointed behind the paramedic and soon they were carefully lifting him onto a stretcher as Jesse frantically asked them questions.

"Where are you taking him?"

"Saffron General."

"Let me in! I need to ride with him!" She yelled as she tried to break past one of the men.

"Family only ma'am." She punched at the paramedics chest but he ignored the blows. She screamed in a way that was both frustrated and sad.

"Ma'am- you need to find a ride. There's a station around the corner that will take you to the hospital." With that the man disappeared back into the ambulance and they were gone. Jesse stood with her back to them next to the bloody

puddle. She took in deep, shaky breaths as she looked around the street. The houndour she'd hit was still lying in the

same place it fell. She buried her face in her hands and began to cry loudly. Misty wiped her cheeks and walked towards

her slowly. She held out a hand and tried to touch Jesse's shoulder but was slapped away.

"Don't touch me!" Misty stood and looked at her but couldn't think of anything to say. Jesse continued to cry.

"What am I going to do?" She said between sobs.

"Do you need a ride?" Misty asked. Jesse seemed to consider the offer for a moment before she turned and began to walk away. The place where the houndour bit her immediately hurt but she didn't care.

"The hospital is a little over a mile away, we can help you get there!" Ash called after her but she didn't answer. They watched her limp out onto the main street and exchanged looks before they all took off after her.

"We need to make sure she gets there." Brock said as he jogged along with the others.

The trek was slow, and they made sure to keep their distance so as not to be noticed. Jesse looked like the living dead as she trudged down the street. James's blood had dried on her legs, hands and arms giving her a ghoulish

appearance. Her leg had gone numb around the bite but she couldn't help but limp anyway. Passerby's stayed far away from her and leaned in to whisper about her alarming appearance.

"Hey sweetheart! Looks like you could use some love!" A man called from a store front but she continued on as if nothing had happened. Finally the lights from the hospital rose up in front of them and they knew their painful journey was over.

She didn't break her uneven stride as she passed through the hydraulic doors and made her way through the lobby.

Vermillion General was dingy, and hosted a cross section of the cities indigent population along with an assortment of people suffering from an array of maladies. Jesse drug herself up to the reception desk and an indifferent nurse

looked up at her through heavily lidded eyes. The woman automatically grabbed a clip board and began gathering paperwork for her to fill out.

"Fill everything out fully and to the best of your knowledge." She said in a bored voice. "If you have insurance be sure to include the card when you come back. You must sign a form of consent that will allow us to-" The nurse stopped abruptly when Jesse's eyes rolled back and her legs gave out. She crumpled onto the floor and the nurse peeked over the counter to make sure that she was actually unconscious.

"Get a stretcher out here!" She called to someone behind the desk. Ash, Brock and Misty all gasped and ran to Jesse's

side. "Who are you?" The nurse asked. Misty looked at Ash and Brock. They knew they'd have to lie about this.

"Her friends." Brock answered for them. "We helped her get here." The nurse eyed them before turning to ask were the stretcher was.

They lifted her onto the narrow surface and began inspecting her as they took her through double doors and into the emergency ward.

"She's out cold, kids. One of you needs to go back there to answer some questions. You can draw straws for it." The nurse said as she sat back down.

"I'll go." Ash said before either of them could speak. "I'm the one who called the ambulance, it would probably be better if I was the one back there." Both Brock and Misty nodded in agreement and were secretly relieved that they had been

excused from the task. Ash entered through the same double doors and was met with a cacophony of sounds. People coughed and moaned as nurses walked back and forth across the hall. He tried to get a nurse's attention to ask her where they had taken Jesse but she was too concentrated on her clipboard. He finally got the attention of a young, overworked looking woman and she pointed

towards the back of the hall. Ash stepped around a curtain to find a man in light blue scrubs taking her vitals and hooking her up to an IV. He was stocky and muscular and kind eyes that took in everything with a calmness that was appreciated after walking through the overcrowded ward.

"So you're the kid that found her." He said conversationally. Ash nodded. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen, sir."

"Pokémon trainer?"

"For five years now." Jesse started to come to as the man pressed a stethoscope to her chest.

"Did you find her unconscious?"

"Uh-no she fainted in the lobby. She walked here, all the way from Juu San Street."

"Seriously? I'm surprised she made it on that leg. Do you know what got her?" Ash bit his lip, as he considered the question.

"It's okay if you don't know." The nurse said as he started cutting her mangled boot away from her leg.

"No I do- at least I think I do. She was attacked. I saw a houndour around where she was." The man nodded as he observed the torn flesh and puncture wounds. He turned her leg slightly to get a better look and she moaned.

"Well I'd say that it's a good fit. They have some of the strongest bites out there, she got lucky. Her boot saved her from having worse damage but we'll need an x-ray anyway just to rule out any fractures or breaks." He turned and poked his head out from behind the curtain to order cleaning supplies and sutures before returning to the bedside. His gloved hands gently raised and lowered her arms and felt around her abdomen for any further damage. He raised his eyebrows when the search came up clean.

"You did some good work with the bite but what about the rest of this blood?" Ash looked at the man nervously.

"It's not hers, and there's a lot of it." Ash bit his lip again and glanced at Jesse as her head lolled to one side.

"I'm not going to get you in trouble, that's not what I'm here for. I just need to know if anyone else is in danger."

"Her uh- friend is here too." Ash said quietly. "He came here in an ambulance. I called for it. They were attacked and he got really hurt. It wasn't just the houndour, there were some men running away when me and my friends turned the corner."

"Do you know his name?" The nurse was looking intently at Ash when Jesse came out of her daze and looked at both of them with unfocused eyes. She blinked a few times before letting her head fall back onto the pillow, where she started crying almost immediately.

"Where is he?" She sobbed. The nurse went to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down, ma'am. I'm Yama, I'm here to help you. You were unconscious, but just try to relax. You're in a safe place."

"Where is he?" She asked again as she tried to sit up.

"Who are looking for ma'am?"

"Where's James!?" She said loudly as she attempted to push his hands off her. Yama turned to Ash to see if he recognized the name. Ash nodded and Yama turned his attention back to Jesse.

"He's here, we're taking care of him." She turned her head and looked at Ash. There was something feral about her appearance as she strained to sit up again.

"Is he dead?" Ash stared at her with wide eyes but didn't answer. "Tell me if he's dead you rat!"

"Ma'am you need to calm down."

"Don't tell me to do shit! Answer me!" She yelled at both of them. She slapped at Yama's arms as he struggled to reach a syringe in a nearby cabinet.

"Can I get some help in here!" He called out into the hall. Soon a couple nurses came to his aid as he stuck a needle into her thigh. She fought him a moment longer until the drugs took hold. Soon she was laying back on her pillow as Yama

watched her. He called for radiology and turned back to Ash.

"You two don't run with the same crowd, do you?"

"No sir." Ash had never thought about it that much but their appearances were quite different.

"She doesn't have any ID, could you help me out?" Do you know her personally or..."

"Yes." Ash replied simply. "Me and my friends have known her for a while. Her name is Jesse. We know her friend too."

"I didn't know friends called each other rats." Yama said with a smirk.

"We're not friends." Ash answered quickly. "We've just known each other for a while."

"Whatever you say- you've been helpful though so thank you. I have to get her to radiology so we can get this leg fixed but um- stay around. Depending how things go with her friend we might need you again." Yama sounded grim and Ash nodded and left the room.

When he found himself back in the waiting room, Brock and Misty were staring at him expectantly.

"Nothing happened, she woke up and yelled at me and they had to knock her out."

"What about James?"

"They didn't have any information. But a nurse told me to stick around. They might have more questions if anything happens to him."

Brock offered some stale crispy snacks he got out of the vending machine and Ash took them silently. Waiting to hear the medical condition of a couple of criminals was never something that he thought he'd find himself doing but the

alternative seemed wrong too. Hearing Jesse scream and seeing them covered in blood did more than appeal to Ash's humanity, it terrified him. He couldn't imagine finding himself in the same position with someone he cared about. Losing someone, criminal or not, in some filthy ally is tragic, and it was this thought that kept Ash sitting in the cramped waiting room for hours.

Misty and Brock had fallen asleep when Yama finally came out.

"Ash, hey..." Ash stirred in his half asleep state. Yama said his name again and he lifted his head and blinked up at him through heavily lidded eyes.

"Rise and shine." Ash ran a hand over his face and sat up straighter.

"What time is it?"

"A little after one." Ash moved slowly so as not to wake the other two and stood up. Pikachu was sleeping soundly of Misty's lap.

"You're oddly street-wise acquaintance has come around." Ash mumbled something at the thought of having to see Jesse again when suddenly he was overcome with a feeling of dread.

"Why did you come out here?" He asked Yama as he was preparing himself for the answer.

"To give an update."

"Is James still alive?" Yama sighed and nodded.

"He is, but I say that with guarded hopefulness. The attending surgeon told me he'd been stabbed eight times. He's in the ICU."

"Should I go back?" Ash asked quietly.

"If you want. She's got a mouth on her, so prepare yourself."

"I've been prepared for years." Ash said flatly as he walked back with Yama. Yama knocked on the door before opening it.

"What?!" Jesse yelled from behind a curtain. "Leave me alone- if you're not going to give me something for this fucking pain then get lost." Yama gave Ash a tired look and then mouthed that he'd be outside. Ash pushed the curtain aside to

find Jesse laying with her back to the door. Her leg was heavily wrapped but there was no cast. The shapeless gown fell around her thin frame making her look much smaller than she was. Ash wanted to leave as soon as he saw her. This was not going to be a pleasant visit and he knew it. He cleared his throat to break the silence but she didn't respond so he walked slowly around until he could barely see her face. She was staring at the wall as she picked at a corner of the blanket. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh my god. No. Get out." Ash would have been more than happy to comply but he stood his ground.

"What did I just say?" She asked as she raised her head to look at him.

"It's good your leg isn't broken." She rolled her eyes and let her head fall heavily back on the pillow.

"I'm not in the mood for a conversation."

"You got lucky."

"Who the hell let you in here anyway?"

"Your nurse."

"What happened to family only..."

"We decided to stick around."

"You're dumber than you look."

"Wanted to make sure everything is alright."

"Does everything look alright?!" She finally snapped at him as she sat up abruptly, wincing as her leg shifted.

"James is alive." Ash said calmly. The fire left her eyes as her shoulders fell. She stared at him until she sniffed and turned away.

"I know." She answered in a thick voice that showed that she was crying.

"They won't let me see him."

"He's in the ICU. But I'm sure they'll let you in when they move him out." Jesse wiped her cheek with the palm of her hand.

"I know how things are." She said quietly. "I had to pry it out of that dumbass nurse but he told me. His heart stopped. One of his lungs was hit. He could still die." Ash had nothing to say to this. He just watched her wipe away stray tears

and shift uncomfortably under the blanket.

"Why are you still here?" She finally asked.

"I don't know." His answer sounded stupid but it was the best he could come up with. "It's the right thing to do." He finished.

"Your goddamn moral compass." Jesse mumbled. "I don't need your help, so you can feel free to leave." Ash shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Look- if you think I'm going to open up about my feelings or whatever, think again. We're not friends. James wouldn't want you here and neither do I." Suddenly there was a pinging noise out in the hall and a couple nurses ran by. They said something about code blue in one of the rooms and there was more scuffling.

"Code blue- what is that?" Jesse asked as she sat up.

"Someone is dying." Ash said as he left the room quickly. He heard Jesse's panicked screeching as he followed the commotion to a darkened room down the hall. A deep pang of dread pulled at the bottom of his stomach as he prepared to

look around the corner. If it was James he knew he'd have to go back and deliver the news. Ash held his breath as he stuck his head past the heavy frame. A group of nurses were working on someone but he couldn't see who it was. He

squinted through the murky light and a woman stepped aside to reveal an older, balding man who had turned the color of chalk. One of the nurses caught sight of Ash and he ducked away. Relief washed over him, not all at once, but in small waves that were tempered by the fact that the man in the room was probably dead. He walked back to Jesse's room to find her sitting up with her good leg tucked under her chin as she hugged it in a desperate manner. Her eyes were

wide and tears streamed down her cheeks in silent rivulets.

"It's not him." Ash said as calmly as he could. Her expression didn't change but her shoulders relaxed slightly. She looked like a cornered animal and Ash felt something he'd never felt for her before, sympathy.

"Do you need me to get the nurse?" Jesse shook her head. Yama entered the room and looked at Ash questioningly.

"I saw you in the hall. Does she need something?"

"Uh-no, she just got a little upset but she'll be fine." Yama directed his attention to Jesse.

"Would you like some food, ma'am?" She shook her head.

"Alright well you know the drill if you need me." He said as he pointed to the call button. Yama left the room and Ash thought that it might be his time to go as well. He'd barely took a few steps towards the door when she spoke.

"Wait. Don't go." Jesse said quietly.

""I need you to stay here until James wakes up. There's something you need to know."

12


End file.
